Home is Where the Heart Is
by ECLucas
Summary: When the brothers discover that they have another sibling, and a little sister no less, they will do whatever it takes to bring her home. Larabee Brothers AU; contains child abuse
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Magnificent Seven or the Larabee Brothers AU. I only own my characters and story so no stealing.**

It was a beautiful spring day in Four Corners. The sky was light blue without a cloud to be seen and the day was warm for mid-April. Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner could be found working on the ranch as always and normally their brother JD Dunne could be found working right alongside them, but today JD had chosen to go through their late father's belongings inside the family house.

While cleaning out the attic one day, JD had found a small case full of Linc Larabee's personal things. He had been delighted when Chris had given him permission to go through the box. In fact, Chris had insisted that JD go through the box, claiming that JD had every right as one of Linc's sons. So now JD was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the family room floor with the box in front of him. JD took a deep breath and opened the lid. The case was filled with several photos of Linc and different women. JD recognized the women as his brothers' mothers and smiled at the fact that Linc clearly cared about each woman equally. The photos were in order from oldest to youngest, starting with Josiah's mother. JD went through every photo and placed them aside carefully until he got to the photo of his own mother. He smiled sadly as he looked at the photo. She was much younger and cancer-free back then with beautiful brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes that her son had inherited.

JD placed the photo aside and looked back in the box. He was surprised to find one last photo and a folded-up piece of paper that looked like it had been opened and reopened many times. The photo was of Linc and another pretty young woman. She had wavy red hair, a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and bright gray eyes. JD turned the photo around and saw the name "Jenny Taylor" written in Linc's handwriting. When he opened the paper he found that it was a note addressed to Linc.

_Dear Linc,_

_I'm sorry that I left so suddenly but it was truly for the best. You have a daughter, Madison. She's absolutely beautiful. She even has your eyes. I've decided to raise her on my own so please, do not try to find us. You have your own family to care for and it just wouldn't be fair to you or your sons. We'll be fine. As her father you at least have the right to know about her. Please forgive me._

_With all my love,_

_Jenny_

JD's eyes widened as he finished reading the letter. He couldn't believe it; another sibling, and a little sister at that! He checked the date of the letter. Assuming that it had been written and sent soon after Madison had been born, she would've just turned nine.

JD jumped up and ran out of the house in search of his older brothers. He knew that Buck, Nathan, and Josiah were all still at work and Ezra wouldn't be back from his business trip for at least another hour so that just left Chris and Vin. He found them repairing one of the fences in the horse corral. "Chris, Vin, look what I found!" he shouted.

They looked up as he approached and Chris took the letter, slipping his gloves off with his teeth. As he read the note he frowned. Vin read over Chris's shoulder, but instead of frowning he looked intrigued. Chris finished the letter and looked back at JD. "JD, we don't have any proof that this woman was telling the truth."

JD frowned. "When we arrived we didn't have proof either," he argued. After the last year together JD couldn't believe that Chris could dismiss this letter so easily. "Linc kept the letter so he must have believed her. We could have a little sister out there, and she's only nine. Don't you think we should try to find her?"

Vin grimaced. "I don't know kid. Even if she is our sister, her mother didn't want Linc to find them. She's got a right to her privacy."

JD couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why wouldn't they want to find their sister? Frustrated with his brothers, he snatched the letter back and went back to the house. He didn't care what his brothers said; he was going to find their sister.

Chris and Vin watched as JD stormed back to the house. Chris sighed. He knew how important family was to JD but even if this woman was telling the truth, they had no right to just appear in their lives. He could certainly understand where JD was coming from though. Vin seemed to feel the same way because he patted Chris on the back. "We can't really do nothin' if they don't wanna be found."

Chris nodded. "Yeah, I just feel bad for the kid." Vin grinned and they got back to work on the fence.

JD went upstairs to his room and immediately got to work searching on his computer. He was thankful for his computer skills. They certainly came in handy when searching for people. Fortunately, and unfortunately, it didn't take long to find the Jennifer Taylor that he was looking for. He continued to dig, looking for a potential address and any other information he could find about Madison.

About an hour later he could hear Ezra arrive home. Normally JD would've been the first downstairs welcoming Ezra home, but he was just too focused on the task at hand. JD wasn't surprised when there was a knock on the door and Ezra walked in. Ezra grinned slightly. "I should have realized that the only event preventing you from welcoming me at the door would be related to your computer."

JD looked up briefly to grant Ezra a smile. "Welcome back Ez. Sorry I wasn't downstairs to welcome you home."

Ezra smiled and sat on the bed across from the computer. "That is quite alright my boy. I received all of the information from Chris and Vin. Do you really believe that there is another Larabee?"

JD nodded and handed over the note for Ezra to read. "Even if there isn't, I wanted to at least check. Chris and Vin might not think so but I think Madison has a right to know her brothers."

"As commendable as your thought is, have you considered the possibility that Jennifer has married and has a family of her own? Perhaps Madison has other siblings. Information such as this may very well ruin a family," Ezra said.

JD paused. Honestly he had not considered that before, but the information he found would only support his cause. He turned around in his chair slowly and looked at Ezra sadly. "I hadn't thought of that but it doesn't matter now. I found them."

He moved back to let Ezra look at the computer screen. Ezra read what JD had found and shook his head. "Well this certainly changes things."

JD waited until the rest of his brothers had gotten home before springing the news. They had just sat down to dinner when Buck spoke up. "So JD, what's this I hear about another Larabee?"

JD glanced at Ezra who nodded encouragingly and pulled out several sheets of paper. "I found Jenny Taylor," he said as he handed the sheets out.

The guys read the articles quietly. When they finished Chris looked up. "Are you sure about this?"

JD nodded. "Yeah. Seven weeks ago Jenny Taylor died in a car accident when she was hit by a drunk driver. Madison Taylor was in the back seat and suffered a broken arm, a minor concussion, and several cuts and bruises. She was placed in the care of her mom's sister and brother-in-law, Caroline and Arnold Wilson. They live in Detroit, Michigan. That's all I was able to find without hacking into a government database."

Buck shook his head sympathetically. "Poor thing. No father and now her mother died." He looked at Chris. "Come on stud, we gotta at least visit her, let her know she ain't alone anymore."

Chris looked around the table and saw five sets of hopeful eyes and one set of pleading. He sighed. "Alright. We'll visit and see if we can do anything to help."

JD's face broke out in a huge grin. "Really?! Thanks Chris!"

Ezra stood up with a brilliant smile on his face. "I shall procure us a flight as soon as possible."

The excitement at the table was contagious and pretty soon even Chris smiled slightly. "Better get packed guys."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm really glad that people have enjoyed this story. It's been floating around in my head for a couple of years so it's a relief to finally get it out. This chapter is a bit shorter but more is coming!**

Madison Taylor finished wiping down the last table in her 3rd grade classroom. She tucked back a strand of her dark red hair and smiled at her teacher. "I'm done Ms. King."

Her teacher looked up from grading at her desk and smiled at the little girl. "Thank you so much Maddy. You're such a big help; I really appreciate it. Now, I called your aunt and uncle and explained to them why you were coming home late. If you just wait a minute I can give you a ride home."

Maddy shook her head. "No thank you. I don't live far so I can just walk home."

Hannah King frowned. "I really don't think you should be walking home alone. It's getting late."

"I only live a block away, and it's still light outside. I'll be okay," Maddy tried to assure her teacher.

Hannah stood up from her desk and approached Maddy. She stopped when she noticed Maddy's slight flinch. "Is everything alright at home Maddy? I know you must miss your mother, but you've been very subdued lately, and you've been staying after school more. Are you okay?"

Maddy panicked slightly but recovered before her teacher noticed. "I'm fine Ms. King, really. I just like helping out here."

Hannah searched her face until she was satisfied that it was the truth. She sighed and smiled. "Okay, as long as you're alright. Thank you again for your help, and please be safe walking home."

Maddy nodded and grabbed her backpack. "I will Ms. King. See you tomorrow!"

Maddy wasn't lying about living close by. Her aunt and uncle's apartment was only a block away from her elementary school. She also knew the area well. She and her mother had lived near her aunt for as long as she could remember, "for help" her mother had said. She never knew her father and the only thing her mother had ever said about him was that he was a nice man that her mother had left. Jenny had made sure that Maddy wouldn't blame her father for their situation, but Maddy still wished that her father had ignored her mother and come looking for them.

Maddy also knew that she had at least three brothers from her father, but she didn't know anything about them and she didn't know if they knew about her either. Without any names or an address she couldn't even look them up, but she often wondered what they were like.

Maddy made it to the apartment building and made her way up the four flights of stairs. The years of climbing these stairs had kept her in shape, even at her young age, so by the time she got to the door, she was barely breathing hard.

Despite the fact that her aunt and uncle forced her to walk home from school every day, they refused to give Maddy a key so that they could control her movements. She was about to knock on the door when it opened and a hand shot out to drag her inside. "Where the hell have you been?" he uncle shouted at her.

Maddy shook as she tried to pull her arm away from his strong grip. She could feel her arm bruising already. "M-Ms. King said she called you. I was helping to clean the classroom," she managed to stutter out in a frightened voice.

Arnold gripped her arm harder. "Oh I got the call but that don't mean nothin'. Who gave you permission to stay after? You know you're supposta come straight home after school," he snarled.

Maddy looked around desperately for help but her aunt simply watched with uncaring eyes. "Please Uncle Arnold. It won't happen again, I promise!"

"It sure as hell won't," Arnold said. With a twist Arnold wrenched Maddy's arm painfully. Maddy screamed as she felt her newly healed arm snap. Arnold released her arm and went for the belt around his waist. Maddy fell to the ground with a sob as she grabbed her broken arm. She cried as Arnold beat her with the belt until she couldn't cry anymore and was reduced to silent tears. Caroline watched but never raised a hand to help.

After about ten minutes Arnold finally stopped and put his belt back on. He cruelly stared down at the crying girl. "Go to your room," he spat.

Maddy slowly and painfully got up and limped to her room, or the "hole-in-the-wall" that it really was. She tried to get her backpack off but cried out as she jarred her broken arm. She gave up and instead sobbed on her bed, her arm throbbing and quickly swelling. She could feel her eye and cheek swelling as well. Her uncle rarely hit her in the face so that no one could see the bruises. Pretty soon the pain became overwhelming and she passed out gratefully, entering a dream world where she lived with her mother, her mysterious father, and nice older brothers who would never hurt her.


	3. Chapter 3

Even with Ezra's extensive network, it was two days before the brothers got a flight to Michigan. The day they arrived it was cloudy and gray. With a little more research, and help from Judge Orrin Travis, they got the name of Maddy's school and the addresses of both her school and her aunt and uncle's apartment.

The rented two SUVs, despite Ezra's complaints and decided to drive to the school first. Chris, Vin, Buck, and JD took the first car while Nathan, Ezra, and Josiah followed them. During the ride Buck noticed JD's leg bouncing as he called out the directions to the school from the back seat. Buck placed a heavy hand on his little brother's knee. "Calm down kid. We'll get there when we get there."

JD's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry. It's still kind of hard to believe that we have a little sister."

Buck grinned. "I know bro."

The brothers arrived at the school a few minutes before the bell let the kids out and went to the front office first. The secretary looked up and was shocked to see seven, very good-looking, men walk into the office. She smiled and asked, "Can I help you gentlemen?"

Buck smiled and stepped forward. "I'm sure you can ma'am. My name's Buck Whilmington and these are my brothers. We're here to see Madison Taylor."

The secretary blushed and looked around at them. "I'm sorry but I can't call a student or release any information without proof of relation or permission from a parent or legal guardian."

Before Buck could try to work his charm, Chris stepped forward and handed the woman a piece of paper. "We have an order from a judge. We're her brothers."

The secretary's eyes widened. "Oh, okay." She read the sheet and nodded. After she typed a few things into her computer she looked back up. "Madison Taylor is in Hannah King's class, room 247, but it doesn't appear that she's been to school for the last two days."

Chris frowned slightly. "Thank you."

The boys found the classroom just as the bell rang. When they were sure that all of the kids were out, they made their way inside. Hannah looked up from her cleaning. "Can I help you?"

Chris nodded and stepped forward, intentionally keeping Buck back. He was a bit concerned that Maddy hadn't been to school for a couple of days and didn't want to waste anytime with Buck's flirting. "Are you Ms. King?"

She studied them curiously. "Yes."

"My name is Chris Larabee and these are my brothers. We're here about Madison Taylor."

Hannah frowned. "Maddy? Is there something wrong?"

Chris shook his head. "No ma'am. We were actually hoping to find her. We're her brothers."

Hannah sat down on one of the tables in shock. "Her brothers? She never mentioned having any brothers."

This time JD was the one to shake his head. "She wouldn't. We just found out ourselves so it's doubtful that she knew."

Hannah smiled. "That's nice. She could certainly use a nice family. She's such a sweet girl, and so intelligent, far ahead of the rest of the class. I would move her up myself but she wasn't able to take the test before her mother died and her aunt and uncle don't want her to take it for some reason. But I'm sorry, she hasn't been in class for two days. I'm actually a bit worried about her. She started showing up to school with bruises soon after her aunt and uncle took her in. She always said that she fell but she's never missed school before."

The brothers looked at each other worriedly. Chris nodded. "Thank you for your help Ms. King."

Hannah stood up to finish cleaning. "She really is a remarkable girl. You'll love her when you meet her."

Chris smiled slightly. "I'm sure we will."

The boys followed the directions that JD had looked up to the apartment. Since it was only a block away the guys walked from the school. JD frowned down at his phone as they walked. Buck threw an arm around his youngest brother's shoulders. "What's wrong bro?"

JD swiped his eyes so that his brothers wouldn't see his tears. "It's just, come on guys, bruises? Who would hurt a nine-year-old girl? It's not fair. I might've had a rough life, but at least my mother never hurt me. This is her family. They're supposed to care about her."

Buck smiled softly. JD was the more sensitive brother of the bunch so it would make sense that he was hit the hardest by this discovery. "That's why we're here kid," he said giving JD a quick squeeze. "We'll make sure that she's well taken care of. It was no coincidence that you found that note when you did."

JD smiled up at his older brother and nodded. His heart pained at the thought of what might've happened to their sister if he hadn't have found that note.

Ahead of the group Chris glanced at Vin who was staring forward with a hard look on his face. "You okay?" Chris asked.

Vin blinked and calmed a bit but his fists were still clenched at his side and Chris could see the tension running through Vin's body. "I will be, once we get Maddy out of that place."

Chris nodded and glanced back at the group. All of the guys seemed angered by the news that Maddy was most likely being beaten by her aunt and uncle. They hadn't even met the little girl yet but she had already found a way into their hearts, his included. It was bad enough to hear that a child was being abused; it made them even more furious that she was family.

They found the apartment building and made their way up the four flights of stairs. Chris knocked on the door. They could hear a woman shout something from inside before the door opened. Caroline poked her head out with an annoyed look on her face. Her greasy brown hair was pulled into a messy bun. "What do you want?"

Chris eyed the woman. "We're looking for Madison Taylor."

The woman frowned. "What the hell did she do?" she sneered.

Chris was a bit taken aback by her tone. Very few people had the guts to talk to him like that and even they usually figured out that they shouldn't pretty quickly. "She hasn't done anything. We're her brothers. I'm Chris Larabee."

While Chris talked JD looked around him and into the apartment. It was small and a little messy. Dirty dishes with soggy food sat in the sink. He looked towards the back of the apartment and saw a small face peeking out of one of the rooms. The girl had dark wavy red hair and familiar-looking blue-green eyes. One side of her face was bruised but under the bruises JD could just make out light freckles on her pale face. The girl caught his eye and he smiled. She cringed back slightly but kept curious eyes on them.

Caroline froze at the name. "Uh, no one lives here with that name. Bye."

"But-." Caroline slammed the door shut. Chris frowned. "Come on guys. We'll have to find another way." Chris raised his hand before any of them could object. "We can't force our way in. We'll call Travis and see what he can do. In the meantime, let's get something to eat. We haven't had anything since breakfast."

JD hesitantly looked back at the apartment door before following his brothers down the stairs.

**A/N: I wish I could update faster but school just started again this past Monday. If anyone has gone to graduate school (I'm currently in my 2nd year of a JD/MBA), you know how busy it gets, and I work, so bear with me. I'll update as often as I can because love you that you enjoy my story. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Maddy quickly closed her door before her aunt could notice her peeking. Her brothers had come looking for her! Her mother had told her that her father had died about a year ago, but she never said anything about her brothers, and she didn't realize that she had so many. Some of them even looked old enough to be her father.

She knew that her aunt would never let her meet them so she had to find a way out of the apartment. Her uncle would be home in about an hour so she only had a small window to work with. She couldn't climb out the window with her arm, even with the horrendous ace bandage wrap job her uncle had done, so she would have to go out the front door.

Before Maddy had a chance to come up with a plan, her front door slammed open. Caroline stood in the doorway furiously gripping a wooden spoon. Maddy forced herself not to flee as Caroline stalked towards her dangerously. "Who did you call?" Caroline asked in a low voice.

"No one!" Maddy cried.

"Don't lie to me girl!" Caroline shouted as she whapped Maddy with the spoon.

"I'm not! I didn't call anyone!" Maddy insisted as she raised her good arm to defend herself.

Caroline stopped hitting her long enough to narrow her eyes at the young girl. "Fine. If I find out that you called anyone, your uncle is going to beat you within an inch of your life. Now I'm going to the bathroom. Stay here and be quiet."

Maddy realized that this was the perfect opportunity. She waited patiently as her aunt went to the bathroom before she made her move. As quietly as she could, Maddy opened her door and snuck her way to the front. Her aunt was just coming back out when Maddy quietly closed the door behind her.

She ran down the stairs and out of the building. She looked both ways down the street. They couldn't have gone far. She picked a direction and started walking.

She picked the right direction because it wasn't long until she heard deep voices ahead of her. She saw the group and hid behind a building, following behind several feet away.

"You know she was lying," the smallest one said. "I saw a little girl in one of the back rooms."

"I know that JD but we can't go in uninvited," the blond in all black said. "We'll just have to ask Travis for help."

"It might be too late by then!"

"JD," The blond warned.

The slim man with wavy brown hair whispered into the blond's ear and glanced back. The blond nodded and sped up. Maddy had some difficulty following them and when they turned a corner, she lost them. She looked both ways but didn't see them anywhere.

"Why are you following us?" came a deep voice behind her.

Maddy jumped and turned around. The blond was staring down at her, green eyes searching her. The men stood around him, question in their eyes. Maddy shuddered at the stares. "I-I-."

The small one smiled and stepped forward. "Wait Chris!" He kneeled down so that he was eye-level with Maddy. "Madison?"

Maddy calmed and nodded. "Maddy," she automatically corrected him. "Are you…are you really my brothers?"

JD smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we are."

Maddy's eyes widened. "Are you taking me with you?"

JD looked up at Chris. Chris blinked and looked at Maddy. The dark but healing bruises were clear on her pale face, and he was sure that he wasn't the only one to notice how she was favoring her left arm and limping slightly. She was small for a nine-year-old and thin but seemed healthy enough otherwise. He smiled softly. "We'll have to talk to someone about it but if we can, then yes, we're taking you with us."

Maddy's face lit up and she hugged Chris around his mid-section. The brothers froze as they watched Chris. Chris was brought back to memories of a small boy who used to run to him and hug him the same way. He looked down at the red head and hesitated. The boys held their breath and waited. Finally, Chris sighed and hugged her back. Maddy snuggled farther into his chest and Chris felt the stress flow from his body. It had been so long since he held a small child. It felt so right. He hugged tighter until he heard a whimper and felt her flinch. He pulled back and looked at her. Her face looked like she was in pain and she was holding back tears. "Maddy?"

She fisted her tears away and smiled. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Chris was about to ask about her arm when her stomach growled. He chuckled. "Are you hungry? We were just going to get something to eat."

Maddy nodded vigorously. "Yes please!"

The men chuckled as Chris took her good hand. When they arrived at a nearby restaurant, the waitress stared at them curiously as they walked in. "Eight please, and one children's menu," Chris added.

The waitress looked down at Maddy, specifically zeroing in on the bruises on Maddy's face. She hesitated briefly but figured that the girl seemed happy enough and probably got the bruises from a recent accident or playing too hard as most kids did. She still eyed the men but nodded and led them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Still concerned about Maddy's arm, Chris picked her up and placed her in the booth, carefully sliding in after her. The waitress handed them their menus and left. Chris gave Maddy her menu and crayons and watched as her eyes widened from all of the choices. Her brothers watched in amusement as Maddy struggled with deciding, cutely sticking her tongue out as she looked at her menu. Finally, she used her crayon to circle what she wanted.

After the waitress left with their orders, the men turned to Maddy. "We should probably introduce ourselves," Chris said more to his brothers than Maddy. "I'm Chris. This is Vin, Buck, JD, Ezra, Nathan, and Josiah," he introduced individually.

As each man was introduced he smiled or gave a wave. Maddy smiled at each one. "And you're all my brothers?"

JD nodded. "Yeah, all seven of us."

"We were pretty surprised too when we found out," Vin said with a grin.

Maddy frowned. "When you found out? You mean you didn't know?"

"We found out a year ago when our father died," Buck explained. "Only Chris, Nathan, and I were raised together."

Maddy nodded solemnly. "Mom told me about my, our, father. I didn't know about you guys though, besides the fact that I had three brothers." She looked down. "Aunt Caroline always hated him. She said he was a good-for-nothing that couldn't spare a dime to help me and Mom."

"That's not true!" JD protested. "I'm sure he wanted to help, but he couldn't find you!"

Maddy smiled sadly. "I know. Mom told me. She didn't want to burden him with us. It's weird though. Aunt Caroline always talked about how my, I mean our, father had kids all over the place, but she never said anything else."

The boys looked at each other. "Maddy, if your aunt knew of our existence, why would she keep you rather than contact us?" Ezra asked.

Maddy shrugged. "When I was in the hospital after the crash, I overheard her and Uncle Arnold arguing about me. Uncle Arnold wanted to put me in foster care but Aunt Caroline talked about some money that our father had left me. If they didn't keep me then they couldn't use the money."

Ezra nodded when Chris gave him a look. He stepped out of the booth to make a few calls. Maddy watched him leave curiously but was distracted when Buck asked, "So Maddy, what was your mother like?" He grunted when JD elbowed him.

Maddy giggled. "It's okay. Mom was great. She worked really hard but we always had food and a nice apartment and she always had time to play with me. She was really pretty too. I wish I looked like her," she added as an afterthought.

The brothers grinned at each other. They all thought that she looked a lot like the picture of her mother except that her hair was a bit darker and her freckles were just a little lighter. Maddy also definitely had their father's eyes; she was the only one to inherit the unusual blue-green coloring instead of just one color or the other. Buck leaned over and gave Maddy a soft hug. "Trust me Maddy, you are a pretty little thing, just like your mother. When you get older, we'll have to beat the guys off with a stick."

Maddy blushed at the compliment. Ezra returned just as the food arrived. Maddy's stomach grumbled again at the smell of her food. She said grace and dug in. After the first bite she smiled brightly and said, "This is amazing! Mom was never able to afford a place like this and Aunt Caroline's cooking is terrible."

The men laughed and also started eating. It had been a long time since breakfast and they were all hungry. In between bites they engaged in small talk, finding out more about Maddy and letting her find out more about them. They discovered that her teacher had been right; she was incredibly intelligent for a nine-year-old. Even JD was impressed. Chris filed a mental reminder to have Maddy tested before she started school in Four Corners.

The meal was finished quickly and the guys surprised Maddy with dessert as well. Maddy was eagerly biting into a piece of chocolate cake when Nathan asked, "So Maddy, when were you going to tell us about your arm?"

Chris glared at the doctor but Nathan ignored it. He was already doing his best not to mention the dark bruises but as a doctor, and Maddy's brother, he couldn't continue to ignore the way her arm was painfully hanging uselessly at her side. Maddy's eyes darkened and for a second they didn't think that she was going to answer but she swallowed the piece of cake that was in her mouth. "I fell down the stairs," she said simply.

Nathan eyed her. "The truth Maddy. I'm a doctor so I can tell the difference between an injury from a fall and one from something else. Let me see your arm."

Maddy hesitated but raised her arm up. Carefully, Nathan rolled back her sleeve to reveal the hastily wrapped ace bandage. Maddy grimaced as Nathan unwrapped it. The brothers gasped. Maddy's arm was black and blue and incredibly swollen. Nathan's eyes narrowed at the damage. "Where's the nearest hospital?" he asked to no one in particular.

JD pulled out his iPhone and started searching. "There's one about three blocks away," he reported.

Nathan nodded. "Send the info to my phone. I'm taking Maddy to the hospital. We'll meet you guys there after you pay."

Maddy seemed to want to argue but at the look on her brothers' faces, she wisely kept her mouth shut and nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Enjoy!**

The brothers sat in the waiting room as Maddy had her arm x-rayed. About thirty minutes later the doctor walked in. "Madison has a distal radius fracture, in the same spot as her previous break from the car accident. It seems that the previous injury never completely healed, which was why it was easy to break this time. I couldn't get much out of Madison, but from the bruising on her arms and wrist, I would say that someone strong twisted her arm, causing the break." He paused and seemed to hesitate for a second. "I also found several older and more recent bruises that indicate being beaten." The men stiffened with anger. "She won't say much to me but maybe she'll talk to you.

We're going to set the bone and place a temporary cast on her arm. Once the swelling goes down, probably in about a week, we'll put a permanent cast on. The cast can't get wet and she'll need to keep her arm elevated. I'm going to give her some morphine for the pain, which will probably make her drowsy for a while, and we'll send her home with prescription painkillers. I understand that you're from out of town so she'll need to see a doctor in one month for a checkup. Usually she would be out of her cast in four weeks but since this is the second break, I want to make sure that it's completely healed this time. I'm going to recommend six weeks minimum with another four weeks in a splint or brace, depending on how it's healed by then."

Chris nodded. "Our brother is a doctor," he said indicating to Nathan. "He'll make sure she follows your directions." The doctor nodded and went back to work. Chris turned to Ezra. "What did you find out?"

"After contacting an informant of mine, I discovered that our father set aside a trust fund equaling 1 million dollars for Maddy. Jennifer never touched the money but the Wilsons have been squandering the account since they acquired Maddy," Ezra reported.

Chris's eyes flared angrily. "They only took her in for the money." Ezra nodded.

"Chris, we can't let her go back to them," JD said. "We have to get her out of there."

"I know that JD," Chris snapped. He calmed down and apologized. "I'm sorry JD but we can't just take her. It's going to be hard enough to get child services to let her live with us using legal methods, even with proof that we're her brothers. Child services are going to think twice about letting a nine-year-old girl live with seven men who she just met. The last thing we need is potential kidnapping charges as well," he explained.

JD calmed and nodded slowly. "I know…I just…"

Vin put a hand on his shoulder. "We know kid, but Chris's right. We can't just barge in and take Maddy."

The doctor came back out. "You can go see her now. She's still a bit drowsy from the morphine."

The doctor led the men to a private room where Maddy was reclining in a hospital bed. Nathan immediately went to check on Maddy's charts as she gave them a drug-induced smile. He felt guilty for not forcing Maddy to go to the hospital sooner and wasn't about to take any chances. Buck grinned and sat on one side of the bed. He brushed back a piece of her hair, careful to avoid her bruises. "Hey there smiley. How're you feeling now that you got your arm fixed up?"

Maddy's eyes tried to focus on Buck but they only ended up crossed. "It doesn't really hurt anymore. I feel nice."

Buck chuckled. "I'm sure you do darlin'."

Chris turned to the doctor. "Can we take her home now?"

The doctor nodded. "Let me write up the paperwork and get her prescription." He left the siblings alone.

Maddy frowned, or whatever she could do with the slight swelling in her cheeks. "You're taking me back?"

The fear in her eyes made Chris's heart clench painfully. "Yes, but we'll be back. As soon as we get the paperwork, we'll be back to take you home."

Maddy relaxed slightly. She liked the sound of "home" and wondered what kind of place they lived in, but part of her was afraid that she wouldn't live that long now that her aunt and uncle knew her brothers were around. She kept her worries to herself and just smiled as they waited for the doctor.

Unfortunately Vin seemed to read her mind. "Ain't nothin' gonna happen to you until then. We'll make sure of that. And speakin' of which, you wanna tell us about those bruises?"

Maddy stiffened. "I-I fell," she lied again.

Vin nodded to Buck and took his place next to Maddy on the bed. "Come on Maddy. I know what a bruise from a fall looks like and a bruise from being hit. I've been hit before too. It ain't your fault you know."

Maddy looked down and picked at her blanket with her free hand. "I know. I'm just…"

"Afraid?" Vin finished. Maddy looked up at him in surprise. "I know the feeling. You're afraid of telling anyone because you think you'll get hurt again." The others listened quietly. Vin had never been this open before. "Just know that you're not alone anymore."

Maddy smiled shyly and nodded. "Thanks, all of you," she said. She took a deep breath. "My uncle gets angry a lot," she started. "Last time I stayed after school to help my teacher clean the classroom so I got home late and Uncle Arnold got mad. Other times it was that I forgot to make his dinner the right way." As Maddy continued she never noticed the angry looks forming on her brothers' faces. "Really though, it's not that bad," Maddy insisted looking back up.

Vin looked at her sadly. He had thought the same thing when he was little. It was only when he met his brothers that he realized that family wasn't supposed to hurt one another. As soon as they got home he was going to make sure that Maddy knew just how family was supposed to treat each other.

The doctor returned with the paperwork and Maddy's prescription so Chris quickly signed for it. They thanked the doctor and went on their way. As they got closer to the apartment building, the guys could see Maddy shaking. Josiah put a large, comforting hand on Maddy's uninjured shoulder. She looked up at him with a small smile but they could all the fear in her eyes. Chris was starting to second-guess his decision to return her to her aunt and uncle.

They got to the building but Chris forced the others to stay on the ground floor. "I'll take her up and meet you guys back down here."

"But Chris-," JD started.

"Don't argue JD," Chris said. "I don't want you guys starting anything. We have to do this by the book."

"Then we shall see you soon Maddy," Josiah said warmly. Maddy nodded and gave them each a hug.

Chris avoided Vin's gaze but he could feel the disappointment rolling off of his best friend. His hands were tied though. He knew that the Wilsons could easily press charges if the brothers just took Maddy and then they would never get her. "Vin, there's nothing I can do."

Vin nodded stiffly but didn't respond.

Chris sighed and walked Maddy up the stairs and to the door. Before he knocked on it, he handed Maddy a small piece of paper. She looked at it curiously. "I want you to have this and make sure your aunt and uncle don't find it. It's my cell number. If you need anything before we come pick you up, give me a call," Chris explained.

She nodded and looked up with those familiar blue-green eyes. "You are coming back, right?"

Chris smiled and hugged her tightly. "Of course I am. As soon as I get permission from a judge, you'll come live with us."

Maddy hugged him back as tight as she dared with her arm. "Thank you Chris, for everything," she whispered in his ear. She pulled back and smiled. Chris took her hand and knocked on the door.


End file.
